8 Benefits of Playing in the MUD

The importance of messy out door play is drifting away in many households, especially now in a technology savvy world where children seem submerged in television, Ipads, mobiles, computers and game consoles rather than sprinklers, dirt, sand, bikes, trees and dandelions.

So why is playing in the mud important? Many parents see their young child heading for a mud puddle and see potential mess, dirt stained clothes and hazardous germs so they stop. When I see a mud patch I see potential sensory fun and giggles, splashing and opportunities to explore and enjoy the outdoors, avenues for imagination and creativity.

Open ended play

This gives opportunity for creativity and imagination. Mud kitchens and Mud stations are child led activities and allow self soothing that becomes a some what therapeutic relaxing event where the child can connect to the outdoors with the freedom to let their mind wander wherever it wishes to.
Open ended play leaves doors open so a child can develop the independence and confidence to play within their own limits, the way they feel comfortable.

Stimulation of many senses while engaged in play

Sensory stimulation is a necessary part of brain development. Children can listen to nature sounds of the outdoors, mud/water/slopping sounds, birds and so on. Tactile stimulation through touch and the different feelings of dirt, pebbles, sticks, water, mud, and the different textures. Seeing how materials mix, mash, pour, transform, squish and so on through different methods of play.

Eye - hand coordination

Mud kitchens provide good practise of eye hand coordination and help further develop the neural pathways responsible for these movements. So while scooping, mixing, pouring, carrying pots full or mud, transferring materials and serving up mud children are increasing their eye hand coordination and through moving around the different weighted materials, balancing them and having steady control of them, they are strengthening all those important muscles that are still growing.

Cause and effect

Something that is often overlooked in outdoor free play is how a child learns through experimentation and observation. For example, The mud blocks the sink, the large pebbles don't fit through the funnel, dirt and water makes mud, mud settles at the bottom of the pot, bark chips float to the surface and so forth.

Pretending Real life Play

Mud stations allow children to develop real skills using real life instruments, working in a real kitchen, working with real resources (even though its done in a pretend way they're not plastic right!?) this leads to learning real consequences and learning through exploration. Whether they are role playing being a chef, making a mud pie or just enjoying splatting mud like an erupting volcano they are utilising natural materials.

Imagination and Creativity

Open ended mud play leads to creativity. After all Mud is an art medium. We've all heard of mud pies but have you ever tried mud painting? Through the freedom of open ended play and utilising rich coloured mud a child's imagination develops as they role play, story tell, chat away in their own fantasy world, create things and make things, pretend real life scenarios and so on.

Gross motor skills

As with all forms of out door play, mud play enhances gross motor skills. As the child handles materials and work around the mud station, carry full shovels of mud or balance full pots of water, lift and pour containers, stir and scoop with utensils, squat, stand, sit and physically move around doing their thing they are being active and using important gross motor actions.

Self care knowledge

This is broad but also very important.
Self care knowledge can be expanding on as the child plays with mud in many ways. To begin with if it is an outside area like ours, you can first inspect the area for creepy crawlies or spiders, ask them to tell a parent or grown up if they see any and remove sticks from the play area.
If it is a mud kitchen they are playing with it gives a good opportunity to practise cooking skills and self care skills in the kitchen by pretending with them. For example cooking with the handles facing away, holding the handle of the pot as they stir it, pretending to always turn of the stove or oven, hot surfaces, packing away the dishes etc.
This can also extend to after play tidy up by making sure they tidy and pack away, washing the things ready for next time, washing their hands after and putting dirty clothes in the wash when they're done etc.

Why not give it a go?
If you score low on the mess-o-meter and are still hesitant about letting your kids roam in mud. Keep the above in mind, put them in old worn clothes that aren't important, gumboots and have a change of clothes.

To get you started here are some objects you can use with Mud.
Kitchen play: Pots, pans, spoons, ladles, containers, muffin trays, bowls.

3 comments:

What a wonderful post!! We love playing with mud and such though my little one likes the idea until her hands get too dirty. We wash them and then start again. Thank you for sharing at Sharing Saturday!!

Even in the heart of NYC, I try to give my three year old a chance to play in nature as much as possible. Fortunately, we are close to Central Park. Of course, a little more vigilance is necessary (broken glass, dog dirt, worse) but we both have so much fun playing with trees and climbing rocks.